


Dating The Ultimate Affluent Prodigy

by Starryoak



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Betaed for once, Calling Imposter Sagishi because it sounds pretty, Canon Non-Binary Character, Everyone besides Imposter and Ryota is a minor character, Ibuki is semi-canonically a chubby chaser and I’ll remind everyone of that at every opportunity, Other, Rated T for Teruteru, Sondam implied but not enough to tag it, They/Them Pronouns for Chou Koukou Kyuu no Sagishi | Ultimate Imposter, and Ibuki also a little bit, contains no actual Ultimate Affluent Prodigies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27242578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starryoak/pseuds/Starryoak
Summary: Sagishi takes Ryota out for a date for the first time as Byakuya Togami, and Ryota finds he doesn’t like all this newfound attention.
Relationships: Chou Koukou Kyuu no Sagishi | Ultimate Imposter/Mitarai Ryota
Comments: 14
Kudos: 36





	1. The Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written on a car trip, this takes place in a hypothetical AU where Imposter impersonates Byakuya for the first year before switching to Ryota, which isn’t my normal headcanon, and came about when I asked myself ‘what would the public think about someone like Ryota, who can’t find the time for self care enough to eat, let alone shower regularly, dating an heir to the Togami family?’. This is the result.

Ryota had been dating the person Hope’s Peak had selected as the Ultimate Imposter for over three weeks now, or, well, he assumed they were dating. He really hadn’t officially said anything to them like ‘do you want to go out?’, but the kisses they had shared hadn’t felt very platonic, so he really hoped they were dating, and that he hadn’t made a huge misunderstanding…

Well, anyway, they had been dating semi-officially, he assumed, for over three weeks before the first time his… boyfriend? had taken him out. Honestly, he wasn’t sure he even _had_ a _boy_ friend, they hadn’t really talked about it, he had seen their Student Handbook when they explained their talent, and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the ??? there. It felt like it would be rude to ask at this stage in the relationship, and he supposed if they hadn’t told him already, it probably wasn’t that important in the long run. 

He paused, looking around and realizing… he really didn’t know where they were headed at all. Sagishi had just suddenly declared that they were going to go out, and hadn’t let him protest before they were out the door, only now they were leaving the Hope’s Peak campus did it occur to him that he had no idea where they were going.

“What are you thinking about?” Sagishi looked down at him with a soft smile that he couldn’t say truly fit the personality they were trying to emulate, but Ryota liked them better this way. The harshness that defined whoever Byakuya Togami was seemed to clash with how Sagishi acted when they were alone; where Byakuya was harsh and critical, always defining himself by his superiority, Sagishi was soft and nurturing, always supporting him in subtle ways and never really focusing on themself. It was a huge study in contrasts. He shook his head at those thoughts, as they were still staring at him.

“I just, uh, realized that I don’t know where we’re going.” Ryota laughed nervously. “I don’t go out much, so I don’t really know the area…”

That was a bit of an understatement. This was the first time in weeks, maybe months, that he’d left the Hope’s Peak campus. He really had everything he needed in his dorm; his tablet, his art supplies… He… actually didn’t need much in the long run.

“To get you some food, of course,” Sagishi explained, frowning slightly, their cheeks puffing out. “I’ve noticed you haven’t been eating well recently, and you’re already worryingly skinny.” They looked at him with concern obvious in their eyes, and Ryota resisted the urge to laugh again.

Sagishi always was going on about things like that, it was… well, it wasn’t _annoying,_ per se, but it was unnecessary! Ryota was _fine,_ really, he had a few energy drinks just yesterday, it was just that he had a lot of work to do! He didn’t have time every day to eat when there was drawing to do.

“What kind of place are we going?” Ryota hadn’t really agreed to this so much as been forced into it, but he supposed he didn’t really mind. He had just finished the cels for the animation he was commissioned for early, so he had some spare time, and if he was at home in his dorm he’d just get antsy. Spending too much time not working bothered him, but at least this time he would be doing _something_ . “I hope it’s not too fancy.” He suddenly felt underdressed… but if he was, it would be _their_ fault for dragging him out so suddenly.

“I’m taking you to get something to _eat_ , not flaunting money for the sake of it.” They looked offended by his suggestion, and Ryota felt embarrassed. “Most fancy restaurants are for the rich to show off the exotic foods they can afford, not foods actually worth eating.” They explained, pausing for a second. “And the portions…” they growled, “… despicable.”

Ryota smiled slightly; he always found their conviction in their sentiments on food… Endearing? It was nice for them to have something they believed in. Even if it wasn’t as important as anime, he was happy for them anyway.

“So where are you taking me?” he asked again, since that hadn’t really answered his question.

“I understand among the common folk they have a reputation for being unhealthy,” they scoffed, “but fast food has a lot of what I specifically believe would be beneficial for you, as well as…” they trailed off, a strange look overtaking their face, “… a sentimental place in my heart.” 

They paused, looking at Ryota very seriously.

“Of course, that is not to say one should _always_ eat fast food. While food in general is essential, and it is always good to be prepared, some food is better in moderation.” They looked rather disgusted by that statement. “What is ideal for gaining weight is food high in protein and fat, I’m sure I can convince Teruteru to begin preparing you meals…” They mused, clearly thinking to themself about this further.

Ryota felt a sinking feeling telling him they wouldn’t let up on this. Honestly, though, their statement on fast food being sentimental made him realize he didn’t know much about Sagishi’s past. He knew they apparently had been born without a name or identity, and apparently needed to take the identities of others to have one… what did that really mean? Born without a birth certificate? Did they have parents at all? He felt kinda bad for not asking more questions then.

“Sagishi, I was-“ Ryota began, but was quickly hushed by Sagishi.

“Do not call me that.” They looked startled, but quickly settled down after looking around and seeing no one was around to hear. The street they were crossing wasn’t busy at all, and no one was in earshot. “Please, while we are out, address me as Byakuya Togami,” they said, and Ryota felt a little sheepish that he hadn’t even considered. Of _course_ he should have called them Byakuya, he just… rarely talked to them outside of their room… which was, he supposed, _his_ room, but Sagishi came over often enough that it felt like theirs too.

“Of course, I’m sorry, Byakuya…” He mumbled, practicing. It felt strange, but that was just how it had to be with them.

After a few seconds of silence, he decided he wanted to fill it with _something,_ so maybe Byakuya would want to hear about his art? Usually they tended to listen when he talked about it, so he assumed they enjoyed it.

“I’ve been looking at this new art tablet that’s on the market, because my old one is a few years old and pretty outdated, it can’t run the newest programs on it, I’ve finally got enough money to get the newest model, and I mean, I really think that’d be neat to have, because I’ve been looking to improve my work!”

He was normally afraid of rambling too much, but he could tell that when he talked, Byakuya would listen. He kind of, as he thought about it, wished there was something they liked talking about so he could listen to them for once. Sure, most of the time he was way too busy with his anime, but times like right now, he felt kind of bad that he was always the one talking. Maybe he should tell them that sometime. But… right now didn’t feel like that time, and sure, maybe he _was_ putting it off, but right now Byakuya couldn’t talk openly like they did in his dorm, so he wasn’t _just_ being his usual cowardly self...

“Plus, I’ve heard there’s this stylus you can buy that can take colors from real life! Imagine how cool that could be to have?” He was just so much more at ease talking about his art than anything else, it was easy to slip back into. “I really don’t know what I’d use it for, but the potential is limitless!”

“You know, as the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, I could easily afford you those things.” Byakuya said, fondly. “The amount of money I have to spare truly is impressive.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to do anything like that!” Ryota sputtered, shocked. He was just trying to talk about things he was interested in right now, not convince them into buying him anything!

“Money is no object to a Togami,” Byakuya said, “it is a matter of me being able to afford anything I desire, it benefits me to use my money as if it is no object to me. Because as the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, it isn’t.”

As they finished explaining, Ryota realized the point they were trying to make. The kind of person the real Byakuya was, the kind of money he had to throw around, he could easily afford to give his boyfriend anything he desired. Which, now that boyfriend was _him_ , seemed kind of excessive. Not that he didn’t _want_ a new tablet, but it was kind of embarrassing to get those kind of gifts just for asking!

“Well, I mean, if you really want to…” he mumbled, face flushing red. “You know, I kind of expected that a guy like you,” he hoped Byakuya understood what he meant, “someone that rich and powerful would be kind of a jerk, but you don’t act like that at all!”

“While it is true that as a Togami I am above the general peasantry and riffraff of lower society, I content myself with being superior and don’t need to conduct myself in such an uncouth manner as to remind you all of your lot in life. It is enough for me to know my own status; it is the duty of the leaders of the world to look after the lower rungs and ensure they behave themselves.”

As they explained, Ryota found himself truly understanding Sagishi’s talent as an imposter. They embodied the ideals of the talent they were imitating so completely that if they hadn’t confessed their true identity to him, he wouldn’t have believed there could be any other Byakuya Togami in existence. The one that stood in front of him so completely represented the idea of the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy that he had trouble believing the real Byakuya could have said it any better. When they stopped, he was confused, but looking around him, he realized they had arrived.

“After you.” Byakuya held open the door for him.

“Oh, uh, thanks.” Ryota ducked his head in a sort of thanks as he walked in, the air conditioning a nice break from having been walking for so long.

It was a rather nice fast food place, from the looks of it, although it didn’t look much different than any other he had seen. He was about to go up to the counter when Byakuya motioned for him to sit down at one of the tables, so he did.

Ryota was suddenly conscious of the fact that he was with a pretty famous person, or at least, someone people thought was famous. He knew Hope’s Peak was a big deal, but it still embarrassed him to be so recognized. He had always wanted his animations to be famous, not him! Luckily for him, nobody seemed to be paying attention to _him_ as Byakuya was bossing around the wait staff and generally taking command of the situation in a way that made it hard to take his eyes off them, so most of the people ignored him.

After a few minutes, Byakuya came over to the table holding a tray with an impressive assortment of food on it, and Ryota felt a little nervous that Byakuya had really overestimated his stomach. Yes, he was kind of hungry, he had realized now that he could smell the food, but he wasn’t _that_ hungry!

Ryota began to protest, “Byakuya, I don’t think I can-“

“Don’t worry, not all of it’s for you,” Byakuya smirked slightly, picking up one of the burgers. “I just want you to eat as much as you can, and whatever else is left over, I’ll eat.” They looked at him almost… worriedly? Oh no, this was going to be another lecture, wasn’t it? “It’s not healthy to neglect yourself the way you do, Ryota!” They began, handing him a basket of fries and looking at him insistently until he began eating. “I mean it!” They huffed.

“Really, Byakuya, I’m fine!” he insisted, between bites. The food _was_ good, though. Maybe he had been more hungry than he realized, but that didn’t mean Byakuya was right with all their insistence about him ‘having an unhealthy work ethic’ and ‘working himself to death’, which was completely ridiculous.

“No you aren’t! You barely have an inch of fat on you!” _Here we go again, they were on another one of these rants._ “You would be in serious danger if you were ever in any actual situation without food for extended periods, you’re already almost underweight!” They were always worrying about weird stuff like this, and it was nice to be cared about, but he was fine! “If you don’t have any fat on you, if you ever starve, your body will have no choice but to digest your muscles for food. The important thing is to make sure you don’t get any skinnier.”

They finished their burger and watched him eat his fries intently, clearly not letting up on this. It was such a weird thing to worry about, too, but they were always talking about this kind of thing, the importance of food and the threats of starvation and whatnot, it was kind of impressive how much they knew, honestly.

“Do you want to hear about my latest commission?” Ryota put down his food, excited to talk about it. Honestly, his job was so cool! He got to draw all the time, he was contributing to the most important art form, he got paid to do what he loved and it was everything he could ever hope for in life, inspiring others the same way he was inspired as a kid.

“What I want is for you to eat something substantial, then you can talk about your job.” Byakuya motioned towards one of the burgers. “Protein is important in your diet.”

Ryota sighed and had a bite, rolling his eyes. He wasn’t _mad_ at them, but he wished they’d worry less! He hadn’t collapsed since they met, so clearly he was doing well enough to work. Plus, he had come out with them, hadn’t he? Every time he had finished a commission, Byakuya would do this kind of thing, insisting he do something silly like ‘take a break’. It was ridiculous, and kept him from maximizing his efficiency. Didn’t they have anything better to do? 

It was interesting to him, if he thought about it, that such a worrywart like Sagishi was impersonating someone like Byakuya Togami. The real Byakuya stayed busy only in the stock market and made no public appearances, so he didn’t even know what he would look like. From what Sagishi had explained, everything they had told him about him was true; he was a billionaire prodigy who had clawed himself up from the lower ranks, the only lower-rank Togami child to ever become an heir, and the youngest ever at that. The only real difference between the Byakuya that Ryota knew and the real one was that the real one was only fifteen. Which was bad news for Sagishi, apparently. Hope’s Peak had informed them that they genuinely were scouting him for the position of Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, which meant next year, they would have to find someone new to impersonate. 

Which was where Ryota came in. Sagishi thought that it would be a good idea, since all Ryota wanted to do was animate, if he could do that instead of go to class, and they would be him in his place. He had seen them at work, testing it out, and he was surprised how well they could impersonate him, and it was almost certainly going to work. That, now that he was thinking about it, was giving him a weird feeling in his stomach. What if that was the only reason Sagishi cared about him? He knew that was sort of the plan all along, but he had thought there was something more between them…

“Ryota, are you alright?” He was interrupted out of his thoughts by Sa…. _Byakuya_ **_,_ ** who was looking at him worriedly. “You stopped eating.” They scolded him slightly. “I really do just want you to be healthier, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.” Ryota smiled slightly. What was he thinking? It was stupid of him to think they didn’t care about him, considering how much they were fussing over him, how many times he’d woken up tucked in bed when he had fallen asleep on his tablet… but… it wouldn’t hurt to check, would it? He’d have to make sure he phrased it so it wouldn’t expose their true identity, but he could still ask.

“Hey, Byakuya?” They looked up from the burger they had gone back to when they had seen he was alright. “I’ve just been thinking…. This, uh…. _Hanging out_ we’ve been doing?” He tried to emphasize the hanging out bit in a way that made them understand. “It’s, uh, not just because of… I mean, it’s not fake, is it?” He hoped he had gotten his point across.

“Of course it isn’t.” Byakuya huffed, looking almost indignant. “Regardless of your use to me, an heir of the Togami clan would never take someone on a date for frivolous reasons, whim, or pretense. I would never lower myself to that kind of petty behavior.” They assured him. He then realized, this is a perfect time for him to clarify what he had been worrying about.

“So… that’s what this is?” Ryota asked nervously. “A… date?” He then paused, not sure he made it clear enough. “A _date_ date? Like… romantic date?” He was fairly sure he and Sagishi were dating, but that might not necessarily carry over when they were impersonating Byakuya, and maybe he had just misunderstood entirely.

“This is, indeed, a romantic date.” Byakuya looked amused by his phrasing. “Whatever would give you the impression it _wasn’t?_ ”

“Well, it’s just...” Ryota trailed off, nervously. He wasn’t really sure how to explain it without exposing the truth. “I mean…” He really couldn’t explain, could he? “I guess maybe I wasn’t sure you wanted to be public?” He hoped that was close enough. And, acknowledging it, there, uh, did seem to be a lot of people staring their way now, after Byakuya had said that it was a date…

“Ah.” They hummed, seeming to understand his meaning. “Rest assured, then.”

“Um…” Ryota felt increasingly exposed, while there were only five or six people in the restaurant, excluding the staff, he could see all of them, subtly or not, had become invested in their discussion. “I just… realized… how… public,” he whimpered, squeaking as someone snapped a photo.

“Pay them no mind.” Byakuya glared heavily at the man who took the photo, but didn’t otherwise react. “That is, unfortunately, the price of being an Ultimate. Being recognized for your talents and abilities in your field, unfortunately comes with the drawbacks of being _recognized_ in general.”

They continued eating, motioning for Ryota to do the same, but he could only go back to the fries reluctantly.

“It is a consequence of being powerful in this world, that those without power will see you and want to be you. It is a burden the powerful must take in stride, and one the Togami family has shouldered for generations.”

The reassurance wasn’t really doing much for Ryota, because he rarely was ever exposed to this much attention. He generally stayed in his dorm, and if it hadn’t been for Byakuya, he probably would stay there all the time. He had no idea he was famous at all! Well, if he thought about it, he supposed he knew that Hope’s Peak generally awarded fame and fortune to those who attended, but he really hadn’t thought about it much beyond the work it afforded him.

As he ate, he suddenly became cognizant that two of the people sitting in the booth behind them were talking, and then to his discomfort, that they were talking about him. The two women here gossiping just loudly enough that he was sure they knew they could be overheard, and yet…

“Wow, can you believe that? What is that kind of boy doing with one of the richest men in the world?” one of them said, and Ryota flushed. They were the same age as Byakuya, why did they get to be called a ‘man’ when he was relegated to ‘boy’? The woman took her phone out of her purse and began to text, and Ryota _really_ hoped it wasn’t about him.

“Yeah, it’s just _blatant_ how out of his league that Mitarai kid is,” the other agreed. “I mean, Togami isn’t much for looks, but anyone with _that_ kind of money could do _so_ much better.”

“I can’t believe he’d be willing to be _seen_ with someone like that, honestly.” She didn’t even look up from her phone as she said it, and that somehow made it worse. “He looks like he hasn’t showered in _days._ His hair looks like he dipped it in the fryer here it’s so greasy.”

Ryota flushed with embarrassment… he _hadn’t_ showered today. Or the day before. It wasn’t nearly as important as finishing his commission, at least at the time! And he was certain it was a good decision, since he’d rather have good animation than good hygiene, but… now he kind of felt embarrassed, running his other hand through his hair. It wasn’t _that_ bad, was it? Anyway, animating was hard, important work! He didn’t have the time to shower regularly!

“That’s not nearly as bad as what his _talent_ is. I can’t believe the kind of people Hope’s Peak will let in.” The other woman examined her nails as she spoke conspiratorially. “He’s the Ultimate _Animator._ You know what that means? He’s some kind of otaku freak, spending all his time working on animation!” She looked almost disgusted, and ok, now he was upset. Sure, he might not be as well put together as some others, but anime? Anime was important! How dare they call him an otaku, as if contributing to a field of work as beautiful and varied as anime was something to be scorned! He was about to get up and lecture them in the various important impacts that anime had made on overall Japanese and worldwide culture when Byakuya spoke up.

“Excuse me, what do you two think you’re doing?” Byakuya looked at them with genuine disgust in their eyes as they adjusted their glasses. “Talking about others behind their backs is one of the most vulgar things one can do.” The women had at least the decency to look a little sheepish at being called out.

“Of course, I should have expected as much out of the common folk, to have nothing better to do with their miserable lives than chatter on about the elite, pretending that they have any say in how their betters behave themselves,” they added scornfully, and Ryota had never seen them behave like this before. It was completely unlike them, even in the way they tended to conduct themselves as Byakuya, they still tended more to be disdainful; this level of derision was entirely new.

“We, er, we…” The first woman was now stunned to the point where she had stopped texting altogether, her attention entirely on Byakuya, trying to think of some kind of excuse or response. “We were just-“

“You were just behaving yourselves entirely as I would expect from the lowest of society, the bottom-feeders, even lower than useless plankton, drifting through life.” They were genuinely angrier than Ryota had ever seen them before.

“We have every right to be here!” the other woman spluttered defensively, indignant at being scolded.

“You types cling to the stories of the elite, unable to go through your pathetic day-to-day lives without consuming endless platitudes and fairy tales of how the upper echelons of society function, reassuring yourselves with meaningless drivel about how they’re ‘just like you’ in the end, whether it be so you can revel in fantasies of one day joining them, or so you can gleefully mock their human fallibilities.”

They were channeling some kind of energy into their words, a presence that Ryota found hard to ignore, something like when they had been ordering the staff around, but so much more intense.

 _This_ feeling must truly be the power of the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, he realized.

“This ignores the truth of the matter, which is that I have earned my way into a life of wealth and success that you can never hope to afford or see, and that you have no more chance of joining the upper rungs of society than a mutt can ever hope to be a champion show dog. You would do better to stop affording yourself such meaningless things and work towards achieving things you can actually earn, like happiness, before they become impossible for you to attain, and stop poking into the private lives of your betters.”

They finished, and the women, clearly either cowed into submission or not feeling capable of a response, said nothing at all as they left, having apparently finished their meal and stayed solely to watch his and Byakuya’s date.

Ryota watched in silence as Byakuya began to pack the remaining burgers into a bag, clearly still angered.

“Let’s go, Ryota.”

They grabbed his hand protectively.

“Uh, ok.”

Ryota was still completely blown away by what had happened, although he felt like maybe he could have defended himself, as he thought about it… he was sure he wouldn’t have done nearly as impressive a job of it.

“Thanks for, uh, defending me like that.”

“It was nothing,” they said, still wearing a frown on their face as they left. “They deserved it. Bottom-feeders like that are the worst society has to offer.”

“Yeah…” Ryota said, not really affirmatively so much as he wasn’t sure how to respond, still not sure how to process the side of his boyfriend he’d seen. It made something feel strange in his stomach, not in a necessarily bad way, to be defended like that. It was a nice sort of feeling, knowing he had someone to protect him, but the level of viciousness Byakuya had responded with was completely unlike what they normally acted like, even in their rudest moments. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if they behaved like that more often, even now he was still reeling a little.

“Here.” They snapped him out of his thoughts, handing him a burger. “You didn’t finish your food.” They said it in a slightly reproachful tone, and Ryota laughed. 

There was the Byakuya he knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, if you’re wondering how Imposter would pull off impersonating Ryota after knowing the class for so long already, I’ve always headcanoned their talent to be near supernatural, where people _could_ notice something was off, especially if faced with the real thing, but tend to brush it off under most circumstances. The only person who’ll be bothered by the whole thing is the real Byakuya... and who cares about him, lol? (I am sorry if you do)


	2. The Next Day

Next morning, Ryota decided to wake up early to take a shower before he headed to class. He didn’t normally even go, because Kizakura didn’t even show up that much anymore, and the school didn’t even require it, but he still didn’t have much better to do. He had obsessively checked last night, and no new work was available for at least a few days, so he really _didn’t_ have anything better to do than to attend class.

When he came in, he was mildly surprised most everyone was already there. He saw Sonia (and Kazuichi, trailing after her like a lost puppy) on the way, so only four or five people were missing. For their class, that was a near miracle. Maybe he shouldn’t have started the trend of ditching class in the first place, but, thinking of how much important work he’d done, he shook that thought off quickly.

“Wow, Ryota, thanks for finally taking a shower!” He nearly jumped in fright as a camera flashed, Mahiru walking up to him. “That’s an event to be commemorated! Now you don’t look like a filthy sewer rat anymore!” She shared glances with Hiyoko, who giggled. 

“It wasn’t that bad, you guys…” Ryota whimpered a little under his breath, not wanting to admit that he did feel a lot better, having taken a shower.

“Now if only the other boys in our class could take your example!” Mahiru said pointedly, yelling so that Kazuichi, who had just entered the room, could hear.

“I haven’t even done anything yet!” Kazuichi snapped back at her, indignantly. “Leave me out of it!”

Ryota laughed nervously as the two began to argue. This class was so… energetic. It was actually a little scary sometimes, which was why he tended not to come. Too much excitement was hard to deal with, he preferred things to be more low key. He pulled out some paper and his pencil. If he was going to be here, he might as well draw while doing so. But before he could start, he realized someone was standing over his desk. “What?” He asked, not looking up.

“I just wanted to congratulate you!” He was surprised to hear Nagito’s voice; the boy tended to keep to himself, mostly, and said… mildly unsettling things when he didn’t. But he was probably a nice enough person, if harmlessly weird.

“On, uh, what?” He didn’t think Nagito would be talking about the animations he had finished, so he was completely lost.

“On your relationship with Byakuya!” Nagito chirped, completely oblivious to the fact that Ryota had turned a bright red blushing color. “I’m sure it will bring about wondrous hope, having two Ultimates dating!” He continued, clasping his hands in a slightly revenant manner, as everyone turned to pay attention to this conversation. “Oh, and it must be quite convenient to be dating the heir to the Togami corporation!”

“What? How do you know they’re dating?” Fuyuhiko asked, looking skeptical.

“Well, you see, I pay close attention to the Ultimate Fan Forums!” Nagito began to explain.

“Wait, you _go_ here. Why do you still need to read those?” Mahiru interrupted. “You can just talk to us like a normal person, can’t you?”

“It’s cause he’s _not_ a normal person.” Hiyoko snickered, covering her mouth with her kimono sleeve. “He’s a total weirdo.”

“Hiyoko’s right!” Nagito smiled brightly, despite what he was saying. “I’d hate to dirty wonderful talents like yours with my disgusting social presence, so I stay away for your own good!” He didn’t falter in his smile once while saying this, despite how unpleasant a sentiment it was. “But I still want to stay updated on the lives of Ultimates, so instead, I read the forums! Sometimes I’m so lucky as to help correct misconceptions others have about them. Sometimes I just like to read them without comment!”

“Wow, creepy,” Hiyoko replied.

“I was reading it last night, when someone posted this!” Nagito didn’t comment on the insult and instead scrolled down, eventually showing the class a photo Ryota recognized as the one he had noticed being taken. Oh, it was even less flattering than he had feared when it was taken. He was going to die of embarrassment at this rate, he was sure. “Someone caught them going on what they claim they overheard was an explicitly romantic date!” Nagito was somehow entirely ignoring, or rather, hadn’t noticed, how uncomfortable Ryota looked, smiling. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Is it true, Ryota?” Chiaki looked up momentarily from her video game to ask, looking interested.

“Uh, um…” Ryota felt fairly put on the spot, but he really didn’t feel comfortable lying, so he guessed he only had one option. “Yes, it is.”

“Oh, wow, congratulations!” Kazuichi clapped him on the back, causing him to make a squeaking noise in fright. “I’m glad someone’s lucky in love around here!” He added, eyes watering as he pouted slightly. “Byakuya’s totally loaded! I mean, he’s no Miss Sonia, but…” he trailed off, blushing at his own thoughts as Sonia looked mildly uncomfortable across the room.

“Yes, congratulations on your luxurious catch!” Teruteru purred in his usual uncomfortably sensuous tone, and Ryota got a horrible feeling he was going to say something like he always did. “Now, I _am_ wondering, though, what it’s like _being_ with someone of that size.” He emphasized his words so Ryota (unfortunately) could have no misconceptions on what he meant, giving Ryota a short pause to interject, when he didn’t, Teruteru continued anyway. “Is it hard, I mean?”

“Please stop.” Ryota whimpered, not wanting Teruteru to continue on this horribly embarrassing and uncomfortable path he was on.

“I assume, of course, that you would have to be the one on top, am I right?” Teruteru continued, completely undeterred, as Ryota turned an even darker shade of red and covered his face and ears in a desperate attempt to block out the chef’s words. “Of course, I’m not as experienced with the logistics as I’m sure you are by now, so you never know!” He grinned sleazily as almost everyone else looked some variation of disturbed or disgusted with this line of conversation

“Uh, I… I’m not g-going to answer that…” Ryota squeaked, face bright red, barely composed enough to even speak. Everyone looked about as uncomfortable as he did, but it didn’t mean he felt any less humiliated, trying to keep himself calm as Teruteru laughed and shrugged off the rejection.

“Hey, for real though!” Ryota barely had time to calm himself before he was jumped on by Ibuki, who pulled him out of his seat, grinning wildly. “Congrats, little dude!”

“Um, thanks?” Ryota was still unsettled by all this attention, but at least Ibuki was a nice enough person.

“You’re so lucky!” Ibuki continued praising him. “Ibuki’s always wanted a soft, squishy chubby boy like Byakuya to date! Or even girl! Ibuki’s really not picky,” she giggled slightly manically as she added that aside. “I’m so jealous of you, Ryota! Now you can do all sorts of fun things with his belly!” Ryota was beginning to think this conversation was going to a weirder place than he was quite comfortable with. This kind of thing was why he didn’t come to class that often…

“Really?” Teruteru sidled up to Ibuki and grinned his sleaziest, most suggestive grin yet, which really wasn’t all that different than his usual smiles. “You know, _I_ happen to be chubby. I certainly wouldn’t mind if you played with my belly.” Yep, this was going to weird, uncomfortable places and Ryota wanted no part in them. He went back to drawing, but unfortunately, he couldn’t both cover his ears and draw at the same time.

“Nope!” Ibuki shook her head no, sticking her tongue out. “Chubby like Byakuya is top quality, homemade chubby. Teruteru’s chubby is cheap knockoff foreign chubby.” She fixed the chef with a strange, disdainful expression. “I’ll pass.”

“Playing hard to get, I see.” Teruteru never usually seemed very thrown off by rejection; he couldn’t be, with how often he was rejected, but he did seem a little down now. If Ryota didn’t know Teruteru, he’d feel bad for him being rejected for apparently not being chubby _enough._ Or… whatever Ibuki meant by cheap knockoff chubby, Ryota wasn’t really sure that was even what she had meant.

“Hey, Ryota!” Ibuki slammed her hands down on his table again, and he looked up. “Ibuki has a more important question!” She looked at him with a more serious face than he had ever seen on her before.

“Yes?”

“Did Byakuya pop any of his buttons?” she asked, entirely seriously.

“…what?” He tilted his head, confused.

“Did Byakuya pop any of his buttons while eating?” she repeated, slower this time. “‘Cause Ibuki was just thinking, back in the cafeteria a few days ago,” she began to explain, going back to her rapid pace from before, “if Byakuya ate enough food, do you think he could? He’d have to eat a lot, but couldn’t that totally happen?” Ryota would have thought it was one of Ibuki’s innocent strange rantings, but she was blushing slightly as she imagined it, and tugging at her collar as if she was too hot… he didn’t want to even _know_ what she was finding so exciting about this discussion.

“I… really don’t know?” Ryota didn’t know how to respond at all, but before he had to think of a proper response, the classroom door opened up again, and Byakuya walked in, looking around at their classmates in mild confusion.

“… What’s going on in here?” They quirked an eyebrow as Ibuki rushed up to them, chattering about how she’d missed him.

“Oh, Byakuya!” Nagito waved at them excitedly. “Congratulations to you as well! We’ve heard the good news!” He added.

“And, I mean, even a lardass like you can do better than that, can’t you?” Hiyoko butted in, sitting in front of Nagito and blocking his view. “Someone rich as you could have anyone you want, and you choose _him?_ You know he’s like the poster boy for karoshi, right?” She laughed a little too long at her own joke.

“I would-“ Byakuya was about to defend themself when Sonia instead stepped between them and Hiyoko.

“Hiyoko!” Sonia began in her usual slightly motherly, quite royal tone. “You shouldn’t be so quick to judge! You never know who you’ll fall for in life! A rich man like Byakuya isn’t restricted to his own class! A Princess could even fall in love with a commoner!” She lectured, before looking longingly at the seat Gundham normally sat in.

“Oh, boy, did you hear that? That means I _definitely_ still have a chance!” Kazuichi was so excited he was about to gnaw on his hands, clearly more or less deliberately misinterpreting that statement in his favor.

“Calm down, jackass, she didn’t mean _you.”_ Fuyuhiko slammed his fist down on Kazuichi’s table, shutting him up and making the easily-upset mechanic’s eyes water.

“She _could_ have...” he whined, pulling his beanie over his head.

“It is none of your business who I date, or why I choose to date them.” Byakuya looked at the class disdainfully. “Now I insist that all of you stop bothering Ryota on this subject immediately, alright?” they added, crossing their arms, as everyone nodded and several of them apologized to Ryota.

The class was extremely uneventful besides a few minor scuffles, which considering what had happened usually the few classes Ryota had attended, was another minor miracle, and no one had bothered him since Byakuya had told them not to. But as he was collecting the few drawings he wanted to save, he noticed Chiaki walking up to him. “Can I do anything for you?” he asked nervously. He hoped it wasn’t another weird question. Chiaki wasn’t normally the type, he didn’t think, but he never knew with this class…

“Oh! I just wanted to say… I’m happy for you.” Chiaki paused her game and looked up at him, smiling warmly. “You seem a lot happier right now than you usually are,” she added.

“I hadn’t realized anything was wrong…” Ryota frowned.

“Well, you’re coming to class, for one.” Chiaki held out a finger to count. “And you showered, I think, so you’re taking better care of yourself.” She added another finger as he blushed. It wasn’t really _that_ bad that she’d noticed, was it? “And I saw you smiling a lot more! I think Byakuya is good for you…” she added, smiling even brighter.

Ryota looked up at her, and then Byakuya, who gave him a small nod of acknowledgement when their eyes met. While today had been weird, and yesterday kind of was too… he had had fun. 

“You know what, Chiaki?” Ryota smiled back at her. “I think you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both the ‘cheap foreign knockoff chubby’ scene and Ibuki fantasizing about Twogami busting their clothes are 4komas from Super Danganronpa 2: Sayonara Zetsubou Gakuen 4koma KINGS and therefore are a tiny bit canon. I have read them, so it is my duty to let people know that Ibuki is (at least somewhat) canonically a chubby chaser and while Sagimita is my one true pairing, Heir Guitar has a kickass ship name and I have a fondness for it.


End file.
